Oman: The Essentials – 5 Days / 4 Nights

Arrival at Muscat airport. Meet & Greet by our representative. Passengers arriving
individually will be met and greet and will have a private transfer. Transfer to your
hotel by air-conditioned vehicle. Check in & Overnight in Muscat. Dinner at leisure.

Breakfast at your hotel. We will start with a briefing meeting to introduce all the group and
the guide and explain the trip. Afterwards, we start the tour of Muscat. Drive through the
beautiful embassy quarter, to reach the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque that has a
remarkable architectural achievement. As a contemporary place of worship, it serves as
a spiritual landmark for modern Oman, projecting the values and aspirations of the Omani
people. As an edifice, it maintains a perfect balance between aesthetics, culture and
deeply rooted Islamic tradition. After the visit to the mosque we continue to the OPERA
house to visit this marvelous edifice specially built by the late Sultan Qaboos. Lunch will
be served in a typical fish restaurant with the locals. After lunch, we will visit Old
Muscat, surrounded by steep mountains and flanked by twin 16thcentury forts ‘Jalali’ &
‘Mirani’, also see the Al Alam Palace, the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos’ residence. We
will then proceed to Bait Al Zubair Museum. Bait Al Zubair is itself a part of Muscat
heritage. Sheikh Al Zubair who served three former Sultans, founded the house in 1914
and his son Mohammad Al Zubair opened it as a museum in 1998. Its carved doors open
into a fortress style reception. The museum includes traditional Omani weaponry, jewelry,
costumes, domestic utensils and recreated urban and rural environments. Then drive
through the scenic beauty of the corniche, stop at Muttrah - the main port & commercial
center, and explore the colorful historic souk. This is a real souk with winding alleys and
backstreets and stalls selling all manner of textiles, jewelry, traditional Omani perfumes
(bukhoor - made of frankincense), souvenirs and antiques… After that long tour, we will
drive back to the hotel. Dinner & overnight in Muscat.

After breakfast depart for a great adventure trip. We will drive through one of the most
thrilling sections of Oman's 1,700 KM coastline. Visit the famous Sinkhole, a part of a
collapsed mountain filled with sea water then continue driving on the graded road via
Fins. Continue your journey to Wadi Shab where we will stop to admire the marvelous
nature and may be walk a bit in the WADI. Lunch en route. We will then continue to Sur,
a sea-faring town and a trading port bustling with activity throughout the year. Famed for
the fascinating architecture of its old town and shipyards where traditional dhows have
been built for centuries at the edge of the bay. After a short tour of Sur, we will continue
the coastal road passing through high cliffs and small fishing villages. We will reach at the end of the afternoon the desert of Wahiba Sands – one of the most fascinating and mysterious
regions of Oman. We will board 4x4 vehicles and start the adventure in the desert. The vast, ever shifting dunes support an astonishing variety of wildlife and host different kinds of flora
and fauna. The quick changing patterns of the dunes are a photographer’s delight. The Wahiba is also home to a few thousand Bedouins, who are known to have inhabited this inhospitable
region for at least 7000 years. We will do some dunes bashing as our experienced drivers show their skill on the dune drive which is a thrilling experience. Dinner in the camp with a real
desert atmosphere & Overnight in comfortable tent well equipped with beds & bathrooms in Wahiba Sands.

After breakfast, we will enjoy for the last time the desert and its secrets, before we board our 4x4 to return to normal civilization. We will then depart to Wadi Bani Khalid – a lush green
valley surrounded by rugged mountains. We will enjoy an incredible view and a chance to capture the scenic beauty with the cameras. We will walk in the wadi to investigate the surrounding
area on foot. Departure to NIZWA around noon, we will stop on our way for lunch. After lunch, we will continue to Nizwa, a great city with a great history. On arrival in NIZWA after
approximately 2- 3 hours, we will do a quick orientation of the city. The ancient capital of Oman, Nizwa was a seat of learning and the birthplace of Islam in Oman. The 17th century souq
famous for the silver jewelry are the major attraction of Nizwa, not to mention the popular & interesting cattle auction, which takes place on every Friday. Built on a scold base of rock, the
huge tower was designed to with stand the vibration of 24 cannons. We will visit the SOUK and walk around discovering the old city. Check in the hotel. Dinner & overnight in NIZWA.
DAY 5: WEDNESDAY - NIZWA- MUSCAT – DEPARTURE (150KM)
(B,

After breakfast, we will continue the visit of Nizwa. Our first sop will be the charming ancestral village of BIRKAT AL MAWZ at the bottom of the GREEN mountain, JEBEL AKHDAR.
Then we will proceed to the Jabreen Fort. The Jabreen Castle, built in 17th century, is one of the finest of its kind. Its magnificent plasterwork, the carved doors and the painted wooden
beams of the ceilings makes this castle amazingly different. After we visit the Jabreen castle, we will drive back towards Nizwa passing the JEBEL SHAMS part of the most famous Hajar
mountains chain in OMAN. We will pass by the oldest small towns of Oman Bahla with its fort (outside visit). We will stop at the palm groves at Al Hamra to see its Falaj system. we will
stop on our way for lunch. After the visit, we will proceed to MUSCAT, the Capital. Evening transfer to Muscat Airport for the departure flight.